Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan in "Dracula."

Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and Lon Chaney Jr. are among the iconic figures of the Universal horror films of the 1920s-1940s. But these films were also filled with a stock company of character actors -- Oscar-nominated stage actors, ingenues and even a tiny Russian actress, who was taught her craft by Stanislavsky -- who helped bring these classic films to terrifying life.

With the release of "Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection" on Blu-ray and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Universal's Legacy of Horror" film series this month, it seemed the right time to pay tribute to these often unsung heroes of the genre.

Full story: Universal horror: 'Essential' Blu-ray spotlights classic actors